Hello from Ohio
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 5:01 am
Hi Everyone,
I am new to the world of microscopes. That is to say that until very recently, I have not handled one in over 50 years. The last time was in a college microbiology class back in the early 1960's. I found the study of bacteria and the like fascinating but never got back to it. A friend rekindled my interest in microscopy about a month ago. I knew I needed some fresh information on the subject and discovered the MicrobeHunter forum which seemed to be just what I was looking for.
I read every post relating to the purchase of a new microscope that I found on the Beginners Corner forum. This took some time and I found excellent advice on what the relative benefits of purchasing an inexpensive new microscope vs. a used scope from one of the "big four" manufacturers. I decided to go with the used market and after much searching mainly on Ebay found a used Zeiss microscope which from the pictures and description appeared to be in excellent condition. The only possible downside was that it lacked any objective lenses. I made an offer and my offer was accepted. The Zeiss arrived 5 days later and it was in excellent condition. I also purchased three brand new objectives. The Zeiss worked perfectly, to my mind, and the controls (focus and stage) were firm yet very smooth. The lamp worked and I was able to view some prepared slides and the images were bright and clear. Later, I went out and got some pond water samples and viewed my wet slides (with cover glass) and found several little critters swimming around.
My equipment now is :
Zeiss Standard 14 serial no.? 470914-9902/42
Objectives: all are 160mm focal length
Plan 4/0 .10
Zeiss 10/0.22
Zeiss 40/0.65
My intended use for this instrument is to study things such as pond water, pollen grains, insect parts etc. I would like to see diatoms as they are often beautiful structures. My question is , can I replace my condenser (which I presume is a Brightfield) with a Darkfield or PhaseContrast type? Which ones would work on my scope and would I also need to buy special objectives for use with these? Also should my next purchase be a oil immersion lens or a high power dry objective? My last question (for now) is whether infinite focus lenses would work on the Zeiss 14 and would they have any advantages over my 160mm lens?
Thank you for whatever advice you may be able to offer.
Jim
I am new to the world of microscopes. That is to say that until very recently, I have not handled one in over 50 years. The last time was in a college microbiology class back in the early 1960's. I found the study of bacteria and the like fascinating but never got back to it. A friend rekindled my interest in microscopy about a month ago. I knew I needed some fresh information on the subject and discovered the MicrobeHunter forum which seemed to be just what I was looking for.
I read every post relating to the purchase of a new microscope that I found on the Beginners Corner forum. This took some time and I found excellent advice on what the relative benefits of purchasing an inexpensive new microscope vs. a used scope from one of the "big four" manufacturers. I decided to go with the used market and after much searching mainly on Ebay found a used Zeiss microscope which from the pictures and description appeared to be in excellent condition. The only possible downside was that it lacked any objective lenses. I made an offer and my offer was accepted. The Zeiss arrived 5 days later and it was in excellent condition. I also purchased three brand new objectives. The Zeiss worked perfectly, to my mind, and the controls (focus and stage) were firm yet very smooth. The lamp worked and I was able to view some prepared slides and the images were bright and clear. Later, I went out and got some pond water samples and viewed my wet slides (with cover glass) and found several little critters swimming around.
My equipment now is :
Zeiss Standard 14 serial no.? 470914-9902/42
Objectives: all are 160mm focal length
Plan 4/0 .10
Zeiss 10/0.22
Zeiss 40/0.65
My intended use for this instrument is to study things such as pond water, pollen grains, insect parts etc. I would like to see diatoms as they are often beautiful structures. My question is , can I replace my condenser (which I presume is a Brightfield) with a Darkfield or PhaseContrast type? Which ones would work on my scope and would I also need to buy special objectives for use with these? Also should my next purchase be a oil immersion lens or a high power dry objective? My last question (for now) is whether infinite focus lenses would work on the Zeiss 14 and would they have any advantages over my 160mm lens?
Thank you for whatever advice you may be able to offer.
Jim